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In the Bernabéu on a chill Saturday evening, Cristiano Ronaldo could only have
done more to proclaim his readiness to face Manchester United if he had
unveiled a T-shirt with the message “coming to get you” or “bring it on”.

Sixty-three minutes was all it took for Ronaldo to score a brilliant
hat-trick. Then he walked off to an ovation. A coat was slipped around his
shoulders and he took his seat, like a glistening heavyweight champion
returning to his corner after polishing off another bum.

United already knew that they would be grappling with the planet’s second-best
player in